The timeless rhythm of weed, water, mulch, sow, chop, kill (pests, that is) continues unabated this month. But in between jobs there are so many different ways to appreciate our own handiwork other than gazing at it from a garden bench. Why not learn how to paint or photograph the perfect flower, the juiciest fruit and veg? Or how to plunder borders for beautiful bouquets? Or the fine, un-British, art of barbecuing (we’ve also found a bit of kit for making your own charcoal). Of course, some gardeners can’t resist the siren call of the departures lounge; for you, there’s a recipe for a holiday-proof planting.

BUNNY GUINNESS'S TOP TIPS

With droughts looming get your soil in great heart so your plants can survive, even when the going gets tough. Bokashi compost has been used in Japan and you can make your own from household waste. It is highly effective as it boosts the levels of effective microorganisms (EMs). Get a bokashi bin (from www.wigglywigglers.co.uk) and add your kitchen waste, cut up into small pieces, add some bokashi bran and close the lid. You repeat the process until the bin is full and leave it for two weeks to ferment. You can dig the fermented matter into the garden and use the liquid diluted as a liquid feed.

EARLY 2ND CROPPING POTATOES COLLECTION

Enjoy delicious new potatoes from your garden with second cropping spuds.

Our special 5-tuber potato packs are ideal if growing space is limited.

July is, on average, the warmest month of the year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a prolonged heatwave and wall-to-wall sunshine. Indeed, in Scotland and northern England July is usually much cloudier and wetter than June. Short hot spells are usually broken by heavy thunderstorms, and a completely dry July is a rarity.